Best Blinds for Sleeping: 7 Ways to Make a Bedroom Dark and Quiet

Direct answer

The best blinds for sleeping are blackout shades, because the fabric itself lets no light through. Fabric is only half of it. Light also leaks around the edges, so how you mount the shade matters as much as what you buy. An outside mount that overlaps the window frame blocks the most light at the edges.

Table of Contents

1. Blackout, Room Darkening, and Light Filtering

2. Where Does Light Leak Around Blackout Shades?

3. Is Inside or Outside Mount Better for Sleep?

4. The Best Blinds for Sleeping, Compared

5. How Do You Block Early Morning Light?

6. Do Blinds Reduce Noise?

7. What Blinds Are Safest for a Child's Bedroom?

8. Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Summary

Blackout, Room Darkening, and Light Filtering

These labels describe how much light passes through the fabric:

To test a fabric before you order, hold a free sample against a sunny window. With a blackout fabric, you see no light through the sample itself. Our  light filtering vs blackout guide   explains the difference in more detail.

Where Does Light Leak Around Blackout Shades?

Even a blackout shade lets light in at three places:

1. The sides. An inside mount shade is made slightly narrower than the opening so it can move freely. That leaves a thin gap on each side.

2. The top. Light can show above the headrail, especially on roller shades where the fabric rolls off the front or back of the tube.

3. The bottom. If the bottom rail does not reach the sill, a line of light shows underneath.

Slatted blinds add a fourth leak: the small holes where the lift cords pass through the slats, and the thin gaps where slats meet. That is why slatted blinds alone rarely make a room fully dark.

Is Inside or Outside Mount Better for Sleep?

For the darkest result without curtains, choose outside mount and make the shade wider and taller than the opening. For an inside mount, the side gaps are part of the design, because the shade needs room to move. Check the minimum frame depth listed on the product page, and add blackout curtains that extend past the frame to close the gaps. If you would rather not measure yourself, our professional measuring and installation  service handles it. Our   curtains vs blinds guide  covers pairing the two.

The Best Blinds for Sleeping, Compared

Regular listed price for a 36 by 60 inch window at the time of this update, before sale pricing:

The strongest choice for sleep is a blackout roller shade mounted outside the frame, ordered cordless or motorized. For adult bedrooms where insulation matters, blackout cellular shades add insulation and some sound absorption. Every Value Blinds blind and shade carries a 3-year warranty, with 5 years on motors, and standard shipping is free, though oversize packages may carry a fee. Browse the full blackout collection.

How Do You Block Early Morning Light?

Early sun can wake you before you want to. If your bedroom faces east, put your darkest shade there first.

• Top down bottom up cellular shades let you lower the top of the shade to bring in daylight above eye level once you are up, while the bottom stays closed for privacy.

•  Motorized shades  can be raised from bed with a remote or, on models with the Alexa motor, by voice. Our   motorized and smart collection  lists the options.

Do Blinds Reduce Noise?

No window covering soundproofs a room; the glass and walls do most of that work. Within that limit, fabric absorbs more sound than hard slats, and the product description for our blackout duo-tone cellular shades lists sound absorption. For a bedroom on a busy street, a blackout cellular shade plus heavy curtains is a strong combination at the window covering level.

What Blinds Are Safest for a Child's Bedroom?

For a child's room, choose a blackout shade with a cordless or motorized lift. Our blackout roller shades offer both. Our blackout cellular shades listed above use a single cord lift, so they are a better fit for adult bedrooms. See the kid-safe and pet-safe collection  and our guide to  corded vs cordless blinds .

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are the best blinds for sleeping?

A blackout roller shade, ordered cordless or motorized and mounted outside the window frame so it overlaps the edges. The fabric blocks light, and the overlap stops it leaking around the sides.

Do blackout blinds make a room completely dark?

The fabric blocks light, but an inside mount leaves thin gaps at the sides. For the darkest room, use an outside mount or add curtains past the frame.

Are blinds or shades better for sleeping?

Shades. Slatted blinds let light through at slat edges and cord holes even when closed. A blackout shade is one continuous piece of fabric.

What is the difference between blackout and room darkening?

Blackout fabric lets no light through the material. Room darkening fabric dims the room but some light still shows through.

What blinds are best for a child's bedroom?

A blackout shade with a cordless or motorized lift, so there is no operating cord near the bed or crib.